The elders of the Osage Nation bury a ceremonial pipe and lament the assimilation of their descendants into white American society. Wandering through their reservation in Oklahoma, during the annual „flower moon“ when the fields bloom, some Osage find oil bubbling up from the ground. The tribe becomes prosperous as it retains the mineral rights and members share in the income from the oil leases, although the law requires that white, court-appointed guardians manage the money of the full and half-blood members as they are considered „incompetent“.
In 1919, Ernest Burkhart returns from World War I and lives with his brother Byron and his uncle William King Hale on his large reservation ranch. Hale, a deputy sheriff and cattle rancher, poses as a friendly benefactor of the Osage, speaks their language and gives them gifts. Whilst working as a taxi driver, Ernest meets Mollie Kyle, an Osage whose family owns oil reserves. A romance develops and the two marry soon after.
When Mollie’s sister Minnie dies of a fatal illness, Mollie’s mother Lizzie and the Osage council blame the white inhabitants of the reservation…
Killers of the Flower Moon is a sobering appraisal of America’s relationship with the indigenous peoples and another artistic high point for Martin Scorsese and his collaborators.
Killers of the Flower Moon was nominated for an Oscar in several categories and won numerous other awards.